Waste management is about strategic planning and governance decisions that directly affect environmental safety, economic efficiency, and the quality of life in communities.
This understanding was at the core of an online meeting held in late January by the Vinnytsia Regional Development Agency together with the Department for Territorial Development and Infrastructure of the Vinnytsia Region State Administration. The event brought together representatives of territorial communities of the region to discuss the development of the Vinnytsia Regional Waste Management Plan (RWMP) through to 2035.
Dialogue with communities as the foundation of quality planning
The discussion involved WM4U Programme expert on regional waste management planning Dmytro Laznenko and WM4U national waste management expert Oleksandr Ihnatenko.
Together with community representatives, the experts discussed key challenges in waste management at the local level, existing problems, infrastructure constraints, and proposals that should be taken into account when preparing the Vinnytsia region’s RWMP. This approach makes it possible to develop the document not in isolation, but in close cooperation with those who will later be responsible for its implementation.
The main expert presentation was delivered by Dmytro Laznenko. He provided a detailed overview of the waste management planning system – from the national to the local level – explained legislative requirements, and highlighted the role of the regional plan as a key instrument for coordinating decisions.
From the regional plan – to action on the ground
The meeting emphasised that the Regional Waste Management Plan defines the boundaries of waste management clusters, the logistics of collection and treatment of different waste streams, infrastructure solutions, targets, and an action plan. At the same time, it is the local waste management plans of communities that serve as the practical tools for implementing these decisions on the ground.
Oleksandr Ihnatenko outlined the next steps of the WM4U Programme in the Vinnytsia region. These include the development of a cluster concept for waste management within the Vinnytsia cluster, the preparation of two local waste management plans for communities within the cluster, as well as the organisation of webinars and consultations to support other territorial communities in developing their own local plans.
Collecting baseline information from communities and engaging in professional dialogue creates an approach in which the regional document is developed together with those who will implement it in practice. This increases the realism of proposed solutions, their coherence between communities, and readiness for further implementation.
The event was held within the Swedish–Ukrainian WM4U Programme, which aims to support the development of modern, systemic, and environmentally responsible waste management solutions at regional and local levels.